Improvement in machine for making- sod-fence



A..A.AY

NFETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D. Q( I diluted Satans .IAIRU-SKOSGOOD, OF'BLU-HILL, MAINE.

Letters Patent No. 94,128, dated A'ugustl, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE FOR MAKING SOD-FENCE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent-and making part Of the sam-e.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, JAIRUS OSGOOD, of Blue Hill, in the county of Hancock, and Statelof Maine, have invented a new and improved Machine for Making sod-Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Figure 2 is a top view. l

The object of this invention is to provide for public use a machine so constructed and operating that it will cut and raise successive sods from the ground, deposit them one on another, and press them down, so as to form a neat and compact sod-fence.

In the drawingsi A A represent the two sides, and B, the inclined bottonrof that pint' which supports the cutters, and first receives and conducts away the sod.

C C are two parallel arms, fastened to the upper,

parallel cutting-disks Orsa-ws, G G, which determine the width ofthe sod.

,lo the lower edge of the inclined bottoni B is fixed a horizontal cutting-blade, H, which determines the depth of the sod.

The rear 'end B', of the incline B, is a separate piece,

axticulatedrto the other part by a hinge, b, so as to be capable of swinging up and down.

At its rear edge the part B' is connected by a tenon, a, to a laterally-swinging platihrm, I,`the tenon loosely -entering an open slot or gain in the frontedge of the' part I, and being held there by a vertical bolt, a', in such a manner that the partl can swingon the bolt a' as a pivot. The front end of the part I is rounded, and the rear end of the part B made concave to it it, as shown in fig. 2, so that, as the partI swings to one side or the other, the joint will not be opened.

. At its rear end the platform I is connected to an incline, K, by means of a hinged piece, K', anda teponjoint, i fi', exactly similar to the hinged piece B', and tenen-joint, that connects it to the incline B.

pait K K swii-igs'laterally with relation to the part I.

The connecting piece K' is supported upon a sled, L, having two .or more rollers, l l, arranged as shown. lhe rear or lower end of the incline K has a roller, O, under it, .for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

the machine.

The

The rollers l Z can be xed higher or lower in the sled, as desired, a series of holes, c e e, being provided to accommodatethem. v

Chains, c cl c2, extend from the front end of the'sled to the parts A and I, and from the platform I to the walls AA,'as shown in the drawings, forming stays, to keep the several parts in the proper relative positions to each other.

M is the drivers seat.

N N' are sidewalls to the platform I and parts K' K, to prevent the sod from running oli` at the sides of These walls may be curved on one or both sides, as shown at N', to prevent friction, and their ends, near the joints, may be turned outward, as seen atn, in order not to prjectinto the path traversed by the sod, in whatever position the several parts ofthe machine may be.

The parts are so constructed that the' sod cut from the ground by theaction of the cutters G G H is, bythe forward motion of the machine, forced backup the incline B and over the parts I K K, and is dropped continuously, grass-side up, from therear edge of the latter incline. A

'lhe machine is not limitedito any particular number of parts, corresponding to those shown atI K and L, but any desired number may be employed, accordving to the height of the fence to be made.

lhe method ofoperating the machine is very simple. The line ofthe fence having been determined upon, a single continuous strip of sod is ont out ini- In its second return trip, it cuts ont, without further l adjustment, a similar strip on the opposite side ofthe fence, and puts it in pla-ce as the fourth layer and so on, .till the fence is completed.

The several parts of the machine are constructed of such a size, and so adjustable that they can'b'e readily set to cut the several l. yers, and deposit them as above set forth. Y The manner in which the machine is thus adjusted will. be clearly understood from fig. 2, which represents it as prepared to lcut out the lfirst and second layers. It will be Aobserved in this figure that the right edge of the part K, which delivers the sod, is in line with the left edge of the part' G G, which cuts it, so that the sod out from the track of the machine is laid immediately at the left side of said track.

At the next out, for the third and fourth layers, the delivering part K will be set so that its right edge will come where its left edge is now seen g. 2, in other words, so that it will deliver the sod onewidth fur,- ther to the left than before, and so on at each successive trip of the machine. In making the several cuts, the chains above described will be adjusted to hold the parts rn'ily in position.' Y

ln the irst trip the rollers l L will be adjusted in lthe lower holes; inthe subsequent trips tbeyp'ill be adjusted as much higher as maybe necessary. So, too,

during the'rst trip the roller O will be employed.

Afterward it may be taken out, if preferred, and the vrear edge of the part K be allowed torest upon the fence that is making, in which case it willfoperate to press down ther successivel layers Aof sod, and render 1 the fencelnore compact and uniform.

The sled is 'designed to bestride the fence durin'git-s formation, causing the rollers l Z to press also upon the successive layers of sod, and level them down, as the machine is moved along.

Having thus described my invention,

side ot' the track made by the machine, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.'

2. In combination with the .parts I K K,`c0u structedY and operating as above set forth, the guidesled L, and for the purpose specic'd.

3. The combination of the adj nstable rollers ZZ with the guide-sled L, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The' combination ofthe incline B or K, with the llaterally-'swinging vplatform I, the vertically-swinging connecting-piece B or K', and `the joints b a, or k i,

substantiallyas and for thepurposes herein set forth.

JAIRUS OSGOOD.

Witnesses:

J No. D. PATTEN, J Axims H. GninLEY. 

